Pacemaker DJ System

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2009

The pocket-size DJ – design and subculture
“God is a DJ” is the title of the almost spiritual hymn by electronic music act Faithless who in their live shows celebrate this track to the fullest. It is the beats that rule this musical cosmos and the secret of success by these DJs is their creativity and the magic with which they entertain a dancing crowd. The design of the Pacemaker deeply ties in with DJ culture, translating the principle of spinning records on two turntables simultaneously into a new type of product. The Pacemaker features a small and compact design, is portable and offers the DJ and musician a myriad of new creative possibilities. Equipped with audio DJ functions commonly used in the music scene and compatible with many other media, the Pacemaker enables limitless mixing between two separate, independent channels. The mixed tracks can be stored on the hard drive; which opens up new possibilities for the DJ and musician of using the device live on stage or in the studio. The clean and geometric appeal of the Pacemaker’s form language reflects the DJ culture: there are two round elements on the case that are reminiscent of two turntables and thus allude to the gadget’s origin and how it is used. The clean and consistent design is continued in a cleanly arranged user interface: the information shown on-screen is self-explanatory, reduced to a minimum and easy to read even on stage. The DJ culture of mixing, which has been crucial to the evolution of contemporary music, is incorporated by the Pacemaker in a novel and enticing manner – inventions that are as innovative and as embedded in the music culture as this one, almost always leave their mark on the music of the future.